Thursday, September 24, 2009

CRIMINAL MIND: FILMING "THE EYES HAVE IT"

Criminal Minds: Article about Criminal Minds on location shooting "The Eyes Have It."

One day before law enforcement officers raided homes in Highland Park and other areas of Northeast Los Angeles, actors from a popular television crime series were busy pursuing their own suspects, using a storefront on Figueroa Boulevard as their film stage.

Film crews started setting up shop along Avenue 59 just south of Figueroa last week, as they made ready to film an upcoming episode of the popular CBS crime series “Criminal Minds.”

The long vacant storefront, situated on a some-what ordinary stretch of Figueroa where a post office, bargain store, bar, liquor store and a pet shop are also located, was outfitted with stuffed bears and other wildlife and turned into “Lloyd’s Wild Game Shop.” The taxidermy shop is supposed to be located somewhere in Oklahoma: A long way from the very urban Highland Park shop transformed through the magic of Hollywood.

An adjacent storefront, the parking lot behind the shops and a nearby public parking lot, were taken over by large trailers and film equipment.

Throughout the day and into the night, local residents stopped to watch the filming, sometimes pointing as they recognized actors from the TV series.But while the story being filmed was about an Oklahoma crime, the behind the scene goings on had a very L.A. feel, complete with a “taco guy” dishing out savory Michoacán style plates of food.

The season five Criminal Minds episode filmed is titled “The Eyes Have It,” and is scheduled to air at the end of October but before Thanksgiving, actor Shemar Moore told.